For SURFING SAKE!!!!!

If you can't find an empty lineup in the winter you are lazy... Or you don't have a car

 

I agree about spot burning, but a swell is for a region not for a spot. You are not going to get a swell at one spot. It's worse if someone talks about the last swell at their spot.
And if someone says there's a swell coming to a spot you know everyone will be there and you can go somewhere else...

 

Yeah, surrendering your home break, that you've surfed for years, and earned your place at, so a butt load of ding dongs can try to surf it, while you go surf a lesser break sounds awsome.

 

totally agree. I hate that sentiment.

 

What the hell is all this talk about earning a spot. Who in their right mind would only check one spot? So you earn a spot because your too stupid get out and go check others? You enjoy surfing **** when other spots are good? You don't earn **** by being stupid

Surfers, new and old, are such donkeys. The ocean made created that spot (or the A.C.E) it belongs to no one. Respect the areas you travel to, respect the people that worked to create a life in the area, don't think that because you surf a spot more than someone else you are better, smarter or more entitled than that other person.

 

Certain spots, especially those down here near inlets, are more tide dependent and have tricky lineups due to currents. If you surf that spot frequently and over several years, you become dialed in to the peak. Therefore you are more able to catch waves at that spot, even in crowded conditions. It makes it more challenging to get the best waves, or decent waves for that matter when it gets crowded, and it does get frustrating at times. But since you surf that spot all the time, it doesn't technically belong to you, but you should be able to surf it like it does if you are any good.

 

I'm not sure when you go out or what waves u go out for, most of the time there about only 2 other guys. However I check spots tht are usually empty and you know about only if your from the area

 

I can see where your coming from, it is extremely frustrating and odd when a spot that's normally empty gets packed. I have been surfing this one spot in my area this winter that Iv never seen more then 5 or 7 people out at a time. I only surf it on a particular tide/swell direction combo because that's when it is good. But on Christmas eve this year there were about 30 guys out. Seriously about 10-15 of them were friends that came together. I almost ended up fighting this group. I never saw any of them ever again though thank god. That might have something to do with the fact that I pulled a screw driver out of my car once I felt threatened by this group or it could of been that these guys were home from collage for winter break. Now this example is extreme because they did try and fight me, but before the confrontation I was catching more waves then those clowns, they didn't bother me to much until they got tough

 

I agree... But do you really see an influx of people coming to your break because there's a "waves next week in NJ" thread? If they're there they'd be there either way

 

Hey guys! Guess where I surf!!!

 

It's going to be going off Friday at Paperplates spot, everyone load up the busses and vans and lets hit it!

 

In reference to the horrors of earning your place aka respect:

It's a wild and crazy concept that's unthinkable to many, so there lies the root of many issues in the water. God forbid you don't get spoon fed respect, entitlement, and instant gratification. It would be insane if you actually had to work for it or "earn it". Some folks rather take the cry and stomp your feet approach that isn't very respectable or effective in their surfing journeys. They get mad at anyone more in tune than them and say kooky sh!t like "this isn't Pipe", when their lack luster ways come to bite them in the a$$.

The ocean is the original teacher of this "stupid" "earn it" concept. "Donkey surfers" aside, you have to pay to play, period. The ocean is in control and it's wise to follow the bosses lead. If you choose to ignore the ocean and the people in it, to facilitate your own instant gratification, your asking for problems and being ignorant.

"Earning it" has nothing to do with not sharing or not knowing what's going on in your surf area. Actually, keeping tabs on what's happening at your local breaks, and making good decisions about surfing based on your observations is part of earning it.

How "earning it" plays out at the better known breaks among us "donkey surfers":

Paddling to the front of the line if your a first timer or rare visitor, may not work in your favor.

Repeated bails or pull-backs, may not work in your favor.

Repeated deep take offs and not making the section, may not work in your favor.

Continuously paddling around people who can surf just fine and live locally so you can have more waves, may not work in your favor.

Trying to "mean mug" the locally residing surfers to get yourself more waves, may not work in your favor.

Paddling out in the wrong spot and getting in the way of riders, may not work in your favor.

Paddle battling a capable surfer for every wave from the shoulder, may not work in your favor. (The last thing I need during critical focus is some disrespectful surfer breathing down my neck).

Hanging in the lip down the line while someone is headed your way, may not work in your favor.

Even worse, hanging in the lip and collapsing it in front of a rider, particularly a tube, may not work in your favor. For f*ck sake, get out of the way always, and ASAP!!!!

Paddling through a riders projected path to save your own a$$ from getting pounded, may not work in your favor. Take it on the head like a man and let the rider ride!

Blowing up any spot via social media (SI too), may not work in your favor. Someone on here who doesn't live by a beach (all good) blew up a spot and included a camera link more then once and they don't even surf there! That's a really d!ck move. It did increase the crowd and I know for a fact some people wanted to punt his little nut sack for it. When you surf regularly at one of the better breaks you know when the cam/cams are down because there is literally 75% less dudes in the water. That goes back to spoon feeding surfers who are too lazy or "stupid" to hunt around for good waves themselves and creating mayhem in the process.

I could go on but you get the picture, some of you at least. It comes down to one word, etiquette! You don't impose your will in surfing, you go with the flow. It's quite simple once you're able to swallow your pride and face the efforts necessary to enjoy surfing in a more complete way. Ya know, that horrendous concept of "earning it".

Personally, I abide by all of this +, and have very little trouble getting accepted when I travel. At the breaks I frequent, I'm welcoming to anyone who wants to get in on the peak. Anyone! Just respect basic etiquette and me for giving you the benefit of a doubt. If you're a disrespectful f*ck up, plan on getting stuffed, reprimanded, sent down the beach and so on.

Many moons ago these teachings were not available via internet. I had to learn and earn my place the hard way. When I was a grom or any other time I was blowing it and got relegated to "down the beach", I accepted it and worked hard on fixing the mistakes I was making, so I could earn the respect of better surfers and surf better waves. I had no choice and I'm a better surfer for it. So I'm thankful to the men who relegated me to lesser waves when my performance was sub par. It's respectable, and the cry and stomp your feet, "I want my cookie now mommy" approach is not. Go figure.

How does it work in football? Straight to the NFL for anyone who wants to play regardless of your skills?

How does it work in the corporate world? Straight to executive status because that's what you want regardless of your performance?

How does it work driving race cars? Straight to the Indy 500 regardless of driving experience?

It really trips me out in surfing how some people think dangerous, disrespectful, inexperienced, poor etiquette having surfers should be accepted on the main peak, at a well known break, with open arms. Are we really supposed to allow those shortcomings to go unchecked while ruining it for the guys that put the time in to specifically not be those things? Personally, I don't think so.

Instead of blindly saying us "donkey surfers" are ruining your session with all these "stupid" etiquette rules, you may want to consider what your doing to ruin their session. If you're able to humbly adjust any shortcomings you may have, a higher frequency of drama free surf sessions will prevail for all.

 

^^^^^^ hear hear.

 

This reminds me of the "Nobody Owes You Anything" thread HAHAHA

 

Excellent post, Doug.
From what I've seen, this "entitlement" and instant gratification mindset includes a lack of understanding that to be really good at something requires sacrifice, hard work, years of practice and putting in the time, perhaps looking foolish, experiencing the ups and downs of the journey - the successes as well as the setbacks.

 

This isn't pipe, Brah.

sorry, had to

I was the one who called surfers, new and old, donkeys. Rhode Island, just like anywhere else, has seen its influx of poor etiquette. And I know all about the surfing commandments and the amendments that have followed in this great history of sliding waves. If people truly think what I stated earlier was about having poor etiquette, then yes, you proved my point about being too stupid to leave your comfortable home break when its good elsewhere.

That being said, Doug, couldn't you agree that maybe these shortcomings may not lie within those who get spot tips off the internet, but rather within those who put in tons of work squatting on "their home break".

These days you gotta be open to change, if you aren't then yes you will be affected undesirably. In turn making you act like a jackass, making threads on blowing out spots, screaming at groms in the line-up, steering your boated out single fin into crowds, and having a misconceptions on earning your right at a peak.

 

Didn't read this whole thread but one thing I will say is fear the jinx boys. I personally think it's no bueno to talk about a particular swell until after it's happened.

Mr. Wasteland we still need to sesh and discuss wolf recovery.